wood

This authentic wood box is now located in the pioneer kitchen display at the Freeborn County Historical Museum. Years ago these wood boxes were filled at least once daily, and maybe even more often as needed, by the younger members of the family. This chore involved carrying the wood from the woodshed or outside wood pile into the house and filling the wood box. View photo »

There’s no identification available for the young boy standing in front of the huge woodpile on the Ziebell farm northeast of Myrtle about a century ago. View photo »

This was one of several small outdoor sawmills set up in rural Freeborn County to convert logs into planks and dimension lumber. This particular mill was located on the Ziebell farm near Myrtle. The large circular saw was powered by either the drive shaft of a tractor or a gasoline engine. View photo »

A man identified as Nels Anderson was getting ready for winter by cutting tree limbs into stove lengths at his farm home near Myrtle years ago. View photo »

This photo was taken about a century ago in a wooded area in Oakland Township. The three men were taking a smoking break during the cutting of wood for use during the winter months. From left are Frank Skala, Ignatz Skala and Joe Skala Sr. Their main tools for cutting the wood into sizes needed in the stoves of rural homes were shown as a crosscut saw and two axes. View photo »

This sawmill was located on the L L. Greengo farm near Glenville about 1911 or 1912. In the foreground is a large pile of sawdust. On the pile of planks is an unidentified worker. In the background is a steam powered tractor which provided the power for the outdoor sawmill. View photo »